The Horseman
by Storsone
Summary: I ride with Death at my side.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters from Marvel, I am simply borrowing their names and faces for an idea I had. This is also my first fanfic so please review and criticize._

The Horseman

Also known as: The Angel of Death, The Horseman of Death and Death's left hand.

Known Aliases: Mr. Black

The Horseman appeared for the first time in 2001, riding a custom motorcycle through Europe and struck at several terrorist cells hours or minutes before agents arrived at the scene. Dismantling terrorist cells and the more volatile crime syndicates one cell or area at a time he is considered highly trained, and dangerous. Mr. Black has helped secure the world for the past decade and has resisted all attempts at bringing him in.

The long list of failed attempts at subduing the man include agents such as Drew, Barton, Hill and Romanoff to name a few. The STRIKE team that was sent was neutralized without ever spotting the man. He appears to go easier on the female agents.

Several agents of different ranks have made their own attempts at the Horseman only to receive minor injuries and bruised egos. Leaving behind only a handcrafted tarot card of a grinning reaper on a motorcycle with the words 'I ride with Death at my back' at the scene. There is no pattern to where he will strike next nor can SHIELD anticipate when he will strike. Agent Romanoff was the first agent that refused a second attempt at subduing the man, the first name on a list of the highest ranked S.H.I.E.L.D agents that has only

grown since her initial refusal.

Independent. Highly trained and dangerous, he appears to share the same ambition as SHIELD. Believed to be a possible fit for the Avengers Initiative, if he can be brought in.

Theory is that the man is either enhanced, or a group of men wearing identical costumes to strike at terrorist cells on different parts of the globe with only hours apart.

The man will go to amazing lengths to prevent innocents from being harmed but seems to have a weak spot for women and children. Rare survivors left behind deliberately for S.H.I.E.L.D to find has revealed that anyone found harming children will suffer horrible pain before death. The less said about the terror he unleashes on rapists the better.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters from Marvel, I am simply borrowing their names and faces for an idea I had. This is also my first fanfic so please review and criticize.

Natasha knew from the moment that they approached the location where Loki was causing trouble that the game had changed. The deep rumbling of the custom motorcycle was easy to identify and she was not surprised when the tall and muscular man turned a corner. When the motorcycle began to change it was a shock to all of them because in moments the beautiful custom roadster was a powerful sports bike. It was proof to Natasha that the man was intelligent enough to challenge even the genius of the arrogant Tony Stark. The shock that had frozen everyone in the Quinjet allowed the man to beat them to Loki and when he leapt from the bike that was at the last moment turned away from the crowd, aimed for a nearby wall, and landed in front of the elderly man that stood defiant in the face of Loki she had to admit herself impressed. The Horseman had charmed women across the globe in the past eleven years that SHIELD had known of the man and the female agents admired how he would punish those that even tried to harm children or women. The mystical bolt sent from the Scepter to kill the elderly man was absorbed into the powerful chest of a man that Director Fury himself had declared off limits to SHIELD agents.

Mr. Black stood tall and proud in a pair of torn jeans with a chocolate brown leather jacket thrown over a brown hoodie with a white dress shirt and black tie finishing it all off. The hood was pulled up to hide the upper half of his face, only revealing two blazing emerald orbs, while a face mask depicting a skeletal grin covered the lower half. It was the grinning reaper on the back of the leather jacket and the words that all agents knew was his signature that revealed to the agents back at the Helicarrier that the Horseman was once again in play.

Natasha heard the Director bark orders at the agents on the Helicarrier while she watched the man dispel the illusions that surrounded the crowd with a simple wave of a hand. This was proof that the man was enhanced at the very least and she made sure to observe everything carefully, to get a feel for the man that had eluded SHIELD for over a decade. With another wave of the same hand the crowd disappeared only to reappear safely far out of reach of the megalomaniac that had trapped them to begin with. Why had they never considered the possibility that the man was a magical? Natasha already knew the answer to the question, in all of recorded history there was not a single magical that could make trained espionage agents look like amateurs when it came to hand-to-hand combat. This man had defeated herself and Agent Barton without breaking a sweat and had similarly made other senior agents look like rookies over the years that had passed since the Horseman appeared.

"Why have you come here, Loki?" The British accent was enough to send the Helicarrier into a frenzy and every agent was researching different angles trying to finally uncover who it was that hid behind that skeletal grin. "I am quite certain that I made it clear to Odin exactly what would happen should an Asgardian try to cause harm to Earth or her inhabitants."

The widening of Loki's eyes was enough to tell the Black Widow that these two men had met before. "Hadrian?" The Horseman nodded in answer. "I am in need of your aid."

"Do you truly believe that I would help you when you intend to enslave Earth and her people?" Natasha knew from decades of experience that there was more to the conversation between these two men even though neither man seemed different.

"Hadrian, you have suffered at the hands of the insignificant mortals and still you choose to protect them?" Mr. Black, or Hadrian, scoffed at the God of Mischief and Lies. Instinct born from training kept Natasha from accepting the conversation as it was, there was definitely more to it.

Mr. Black leapt at the Asgardian and she heard the boy scout behind her gasp at the speed and power both men wielded. It was obvious to a trained eye that the Horseman was the superior warrior because Loki was put on the defensive almost immediately and continuously used the Scepter's range and energy bolts in an attempt at keeping him from closing the distance. Loki was still a tough opponent and blocked two blows to each fist that connected and while Mr. Black had absorbed the first bolt of energy he still made sure to dodge each time Loki managed to fire in his direction. Natasha had fought the Horseman twice and both times the man had emerged the victor and it became apparent exactly how much he had held back both times leaving her with only bruised and a sprained wrist. The man was strong and fast enough to overwhelm an Asgardian and even the glancing blows had Loki wincing in pain, making it easy to predict the outcome of the fight. When Loki took a savage right hook to the jaw it was all over. The grip on the Scepter faltered and the Asgardian that several cults on Earth still worshiped as a God was put on his ass.

"You made a mistake coming here, Loki." Natasha could see that Loki was sweating heavily while Mr. Black did not even sound out of breath. "Agent Romanoff, get down here."

The Quinjet landed carefully in the small square that had held the crowd of terrorised people only minutes earlier and Loki was escorted aboard just as Tony Stark in his Iron man suit arrived. Natasha was prepared to kill the arrogant scientist minutes later and she was both impressed and disappointed that Mr. Black had not even acknowledged the annoying insect that did his level best to antagonise the man that SHIELD feared. The Horseman had settled down in the uncomfortable seat and appeared to be asleep moments later, completely ignoring Stark and his attempts to get a rise out of him. Steve watched the man disapprovingly until Natasha explained that SHIELD had reports that had the man working tirelessly for the past four days without sleep. The disapproval instead became respect, the soldier knew exactly what four days of combat without the luxury of sleep could do to a man. Neither Natasha nor Steve knew that the man resting comfortably in the uncomfortable seat had in fact failed to catch even a moment of sleep in the past eight days.


End file.
